Grace Wolf, owner of the Fox Mill and Franklin Farms General Nutrition Centers in Herndon, was recently appointed as president of the Council for the Arts of Herndon (CAH). A new Board of Directors and executives also was appointed.
Active in many local art organizations as well as volunteering for several other area youth and family organizations, Wolf has been a member of the Board for four years.
"This will be a really good year of positive growth for the council," said Wolf about her goal for the CAH. "We have a great executive director and with the combination of her nonprofit experience and my experience in this community, we hope to move the arts council to the next level."
As a paper and origami artist whose work is on display as part of the Art in Public Places Program through CAH, Wolf has first-hand experience with art in the community.
Armed with her strong business and financial management background, a sense of community and a love of the arts, Wolf plans to help the council expand arts in the area.
THIS YEAR, WOLF SAID she hopes to do this by bringing innovative art programs to the town while continuing to produce some cherished traditions, such as Herndon’s Taste of the Town, Herndon Lights Up the Holidays and the Children’s Hands On Art Area at the Herndon Festival, Art in Public Places, and Labor Day Wine and Jazz Festival.
Other events and programs will be revamped to meet the needs of the growing community.
In addition, Wolf said she is excited to showcase the CAH's first summer seminar series with the Smithsonian Institutes, sponsored by Stanley-Martin Properties, and a business parternship with Cox Communications to bring computer art competitions to the school and help generate art scholarships.
"We'd also like to reformat the BluesFest, so instead of being a one-day event it would be ongoing blues appreciation," she said. "We'd like to have bluegrass appreciation be a week-long event."
Former CAH president, Vicky Dorman, will serve as vice president and secretary.
A long time Herndon resident, Dorman's devotion to the arts and the town of Herndon is apparent in both her job as Legislative Aide with the office of Dranesville District Supervisor Joan Dubois and her countless hours of volunteering at many town events.
Bruce L. Napoli, CPA of Singer, Napoli & Associates, P.C. will be returning as treasurer, a job he has held since 2000. Napoli is active as a volunteer with many local civic organizations in addition to the Council.
Returning Board of Directors members include: Eileen Curtis, Herndon Dulles Chamber of Commerce, Chris Griffin, Griffin-Owens Insurance, Cathy Lanni, Long & Foster, Pat Macintyre MEDA and Reston Art Gallery, Elma Mankin, Art enthusiast and volunteer, the Honorable Mayor Michael O’Reilly, the Honorable Town Council member Harlon Reece, Karen Stacey, Freddie Mac and Bob Statz, Stanley Martin Company. Maureen Ryan is the current Executive Director.
The Council for the Arts of Herndon is the official arts agency of the Town of Herndon and is responsible for promoting the arts by producing many popular Herndon events, including Taste of the Town, Youth Art Month, Children’s Hands On Art at the Herndon Festival, and the High School Computer & Digital Art Competition. The Council also provides scholarships for area students interested in pursuing art studies, grants to support other art groups in Herndon and sponsors the Art in Public Places program.
For more information on upcoming events as well as how to become a member, please visit http://www.herndonarts.org or call the Council’s office at 703-689-9535.
<1b>— Brynn Grimley